I am looking for a dog food that would be friendly to my older dog's kidneys, keep the ph of urine to levels of 6.0-6.5, lower sodium, medium low protein levels, and lower phosphorous levels. I have looked at Medley, Solid Gold, Innova, Timerwolf, Wellness, and others. It is important that my dog stays at the ph of 6.0-6.5 because she has had numerous crystals in her urine(oxalite as well as struvite) and infections. She has some kidney damage. Can anyone help me out there with this?

wdawson

October 16th, 2006, 10:19 PM

you should read the pet food forum.........lots of info there and alot of food gurus there.

Prin

October 16th, 2006, 11:26 PM

It's going to be hard because kidney issues, as far as the older research is concerned, require going against everything you want in a dog food... So instead of looking for very digestible proteins, you look for not-so-digestible proteins so that the "crude" % on the bag is much higher than the real protein the dog is getting...

The newer research says that dogs with kidney issues should have higher protein... But it seems with higher protein comes higher phosphorus, which isn't good for kidneys...

BoxerRescueMTL here was looking for a similar food for her beagle rescue and this is what I thought-

I thought that Avoderm was the best for those specific needs... For a normal dog, the protein would be too low (it's even lower than what is written on the package because a lot of the grain proteins wouldn't be digestible, but they still count in the numbers).

http://www.breeders-choice.com/dog_products/avodermdog.htm

The lite one had low sodium, lower than normal phosphorus and lower protein, if I remember properly...
http://www.breeders-choice.com/dog_products/avodermdog_lite.htm

And the chicken meal one is a bit higher in protein, but the sodium is slightly lower.
http://www.breeders-choice.com/dog_products/avodermdog_lite.htm

But for the stones, you might have to give a cranberry supplement too.

mummummum

October 16th, 2006, 11:28 PM

You may want to get an exact protein count maximum from your Vet. I think it's around 12 or 14% which compared to the avg 22-24% of most commercially available foods (incl. the holistic ones) is pretty unheard of. Are you also giving your doggy potassium citrate?

technodoll

October 16th, 2006, 11:54 PM

have you read this new research done? very interesting article... it's not the protein that damages the kidneys and creates stones and crystals... it's the purine, a byproduct of poor-quality protein!

also read this analysis of vet-recommended food for kidney issues... you'll be shocked at the crap (some) vets push to make a buck, not to help the dog! http://www.aplus-flint-river-ranch.com/article-prescriptionpetfooddiets.php?osCsid=178a3c8cfda33e 2add547e9c4b2aa3b9

Prin

October 17th, 2006, 12:06 AM

Umm... Flint river is not really a good source of info.. I mean, not only do they not cite references, but have you looked at their formulas?
Their "Flint River Ranch Adult & Puppy Dog Food" has wheat as #1.

i know about flint and don't endorse them, either... however, the info they cite from veterinary sources (new studies) is still valid, and the food comparison they list (pros and cons of the vet-sold bags) is also very good. :)

Prin

October 17th, 2006, 07:23 PM

Do they have references in there? Where are they?

mafiaprincess

October 17th, 2006, 07:26 PM

I didn't see any in that first article.. Seemed to be an opinion piece.